ViewLingo User Guide

Master the art of screen translation

Translating a game? Start with the Japanese game translation walkthrough, including an actual recording and setup steps.

📋 Quick Navigation

🚀 Getting Started

Installation & Setup

1

Download & Install

Download ViewLingo from the Mac App Store and install it like any other macOS app.

2

Grant Screen Recording Permission

The first-run setup walks you through Screen Recording permission, the only permission ViewLingo needs, and opens the right System Settings page for you.

3

Choose Your Languages

Pick the language you want to read in and the languages you usually see on screen. Setup helps you download any language pack you still need.

4

Start Translating!

Press fn + Control + Option to create your first viewfinder and start translating.

💡 Pro Tip: Default Apple translation works offline after language packs are downloaded. Optional DeepL comparison in 3.0 needs an internet connection and explicit setup.

📱 Basic Usage

Creating a Viewfinder

There are two main ways to create a viewfinder in ViewLingo:

Primary Method: Instant Creation

Simply press fn + Control twice to instantly create a viewfinder at your mouse cursor position. Quick and effortless!

Alternative: Menu Bar

You can also create a viewfinder from the menu bar icon or app menu for more control over placement.

Using the Viewfinder

1

Position the Viewfinder

Drag the viewfinder window to position it over the text you want to translate. The viewfinder is semi-transparent so you can see the content underneath.

2

Resize if Needed

Drag the corners or edges to resize the viewfinder to fit your text perfectly. Larger text areas may need bigger viewfinders.

3

Automatic Translation

ViewLingo recognizes and translates the text inside the viewfinder and draws the translation over the original. Moved or resized it? The translation follows. Click Retry to translate again at any time.

4

Close When Done

Press ESC, triple-click the viewfinder, or click ✕ next to it.

💡 Viewfinder controls: Live, Retry and Close (✕) sit just outside the selected area, so they never cover the text you're reading. When a viewfinder fills the whole display, the controls appear as you hover.

⚡ Live Translation Mode

Live Mode automatically retranslates content as it changes on screen, perfect for videos, live streams, and dynamic content.

💡 Tip: Frame just the subtitles, dialogue box or slide text you want to follow. Live updates when that text changes and holds steady when it doesn't.

When to Use Live Mode

Video Subtitles

Translate foreign language subtitles in real-time while watching videos on YouTube, Netflix, or other platforms.

Games

Keep dialogue, menus and item descriptions translated as you play.

Live Streams

Follow live broadcasts, gaming streams, or news in foreign languages with continuous translation.

Scrolling Content

Read through long articles or documents in foreign languages as you scroll.

Chat & Messages

Follow real-time conversations in messaging apps or chat rooms.

Enabling Live Mode

1

Open Settings

Click the ViewLingo menu and select "Settings" or press Command+,

2

Turn On Live Mode

In the General tab, make sure Live Mode is on.

3

Press Live

Click Live next to your viewfinder to start continuous translation. Click it again to stop.

Locking the Viewfinder

While watching a video you often need to scroll the page or use the player controls under the viewfinder. Lock mode makes the viewfinder click-through: every click and drag passes to the app underneath while Live translation keeps rendering on top.

1

Lock from the Menu Bar

Click the ViewLingo menu bar icon and choose the lock action. The viewfinder border dims to show it's locked.

2

Interact Through It

Scroll, click, and use video controls as if the viewfinder weren't there — translation continues on top.

3

Unlock with Esc

Press Esc once to unlock, twice to close the viewfinder.

💡 Tip: Stop Live when you're done watching, and keep the viewfinder framed on the text you need for the snappiest updates.

🔤 Advanced Translation Features

Vertical Text Support

ViewLingo natively handles vertical text commonly found in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean content. When vertical text is detected, translations render in the correct writing direction automatically.

CJK Vertical Text

Japanese, Chinese, and Korean vertical text is recognized and translated with proper top-to-bottom, right-to-left rendering.

Mixed Direction

When CJK text is translated to horizontal languages like English, the translation adapts its layout direction automatically.

Adaptive Font Sizing

Translations often differ in length from the original text. ViewLingo automatically adjusts the font size and layout to ensure translated text fits naturally within the original text area while remaining readable.

💡 How it works: When a translation is longer than the original (common when translating from CJK to English), ViewLingo uses free space around the text, wraps lines and adjusts the font size to find the most readable fit. When space is tight, hover over the translation to see it in full.

⚙️ Settings & Preferences

Language Settings

Target Language

Choose which language you want text translated to. This is typically your native language.

Source Language Priority

Set the order in which ViewLingo attempts to detect source languages. Put commonly encountered languages first.

Automatic Detection

ViewLingo detects which of your source languages is on screen. Search languages by name or code to add them.

App Language

Choose the language for ViewLingo's interface, or follow your system. Available in 11 languages.

Display Settings

  • Background Opacity: Adjust how transparent the translation overlay background appears
  • Text Filtering: Skip short text, numbers, or programming keywords
  • Translation History: Keep history for 3, 7 or 30 days or without a limit, and clear it anytime. The history is stored locally; in 3.0 you can explicitly choose text for a separate DeepL comparison

Live Mode

  • Live Mode: Show the Live control on your viewfinders for continuous translation

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

Create Viewfinder

fn + Control + Option

Drag to select the area you want to translate

Quick Viewfinder

fn+Control (double-tap)

Instantly creates a viewfinder at your pointer, using your previous size

Close Viewfinder

ESC

Closes the active viewfinder

Open Settings

Command+,

Opens the ViewLingo preferences

Triple-Click

Click viewfinder three times quickly

Alternative way to close viewfinder

Quit ViewLingo

Command+Q

Closes ViewLingo completely

💡 Customization: Choose your preferred viewfinder shortcut in Settings › General and test it right there.

🎯 Tips & Best Practices

For Best Translation Accuracy

  • Ensure Good Contrast: Translation works best when text is clearly visible against its background
  • Use Appropriate Viewfinder Size: Include entire words and sentences, but avoid excessive empty space
  • Check Text Clarity: Blurry or pixelated text may not be recognized accurately
  • Set Correct Source Language: If auto-detection isn't working, manually set the source language priority

Workflow Optimization

  • Position Viewfinders Strategically: Place them where text appears most frequently
  • Use Multiple Viewfinders: You can have several viewfinders open simultaneously
  • Learn the Shortcuts: Keyboard shortcuts make creating and closing viewfinders much faster
  • Adjust Opacity: Fine-tune background opacity so translations are readable without obscuring original content

Performance Tips

  • Close Unused Viewfinders: Don't leave viewfinders open when not needed
  • Use Focused Viewfinders in Live Mode: Smaller areas produce faster results
💡 Live Mode Tip: Frame the text you want to follow, such as a subtitle line or dialogue box, for the fastest Live updates.

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Text Not Being Recognized

  • Check that the text is clearly visible and not blurry
  • Ensure adequate contrast between text and background
  • Try adjusting the viewfinder size to include more context
  • Verify that the source language is supported

Translations Are Inaccurate

  • Check language settings - ensure correct source and target languages
  • Include more context by expanding the viewfinder
  • Verify that the text is in a supported language
  • Some specialized terminology may not translate perfectly

App Performance Issues

  • Close unnecessary viewfinders
  • Disable Live Mode if enabled
  • Restart ViewLingo
  • Check macOS system requirements (15.0+)
  • Restart your Mac if problems persist

Permission Issues

  • Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording
  • Ensure ViewLingo is enabled in the list
  • If ViewLingo isn't in the list, click + and add it from your Applications folder
  • Restart ViewLingo after granting permission
After an Update: If ViewLingo stops capturing after an update even though permission appears enabled, you need to remove and re-add the permission. Go to System Settings > Screen Recording, remove ViewLingo with the − button, then add it back with + and restart the app. This is required because macOS re-verifies app identity after updates.

Getting Help

If you're still experiencing issues:

🔒 Privacy & Security

Apple translation is local by default. In 3.0, you can choose a separate DeepL comparison after setting up your own API account and consenting. ViewLingo 2.x remains local.

Apple on Your Mac

Regular captures and Live use Apple. Download the required language packs once for offline translation.

No App Tracking

The Mac app has no analytics or tracking. We do not operate a server that receives your app screenshots or translation requests.

Optional DeepL in 3.0

Only your selected original, up to five previous passages and five terms are sent when you explicitly translate. DeepL account terms and charges apply.

Local History

Screenshots, history and projects stay in local storage. External comparison sends selected text, never images or the full history.

Before an external comparison

In 3.0, save your DeepL API key in Keychain, allow text sharing and review the selected original, optional previous context and glossary terms. Press Translate with DeepL to send that preview. Opening settings or editing a project does not send text. You can cancel or disconnect, but already sent requests may still count toward API usage.

DeepL provider terms and charges apply. Do not send personal or confidential text with Free / Developer. The ViewLingo monthly character budget is local to this app, not your provider account limit.

Read the complete Privacy Policy for data handling, provider links and deletion controls.

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